The "I."
In
India, the Candidates for Initiation into the science
of "Raja Yoga," when they apply to the Yogi Masters for instruction,
are given a series of lessons designed to enlighten
them regarding the nature of the Real Self, and to
instruct them in the secret knowledge
whereby they may develop the consciousness and
realization of the real "I" within them. They are shown how they may cast aside the erroneous or imperfect
knowledge regarding their real identity.
Until
the Candidate masters this instruction, or at least
until the truth becomes fixed in his consciousness, further instruction is denied him, for it is held that until he has awakened to a conscious realization of his Actual
Identity, he is not able to understand the source of
his power, and, moreover, is not able to feel within
him the power of the Will, which power underlies the
entire teachings of "Raja Yoga."
The
Yogi Masters are not satisfied if the Candidate forms merely
a clear intellectual conception of this Actual Identity, but they insist that
he must feel the truth of the samemust become aware of the Real
Selfmust enter into a consciousness in which the realization becomes a part of
his everyday selfin which the realizing consciousness
becomes the prevailing idea in his mind, around
which his entire thoughts and actions revolve.
To some
Candidates, this realization comes like a lightning
flash the moment the attention is directed toward it, while in other cases
the Candidates find it necessary to follow
a rigorous course of training before
they acquire the realization in consciousness.
The Yogi Masters teach that there are two degrees of
this awakening consciousness of the Real Self. The first, which they call "the Consciousness of the "I" is the full consciousness of real existence that comes to the Candidate, and which causes him to know that he is
a real entity having a life not depending upon the bodylife
that will go on in spite of the destruction of the
bodyreal life, in fact. The second degree, which they call "the Consciousness of the 'I AM'," is the
consciousness of one's identity with the Universal Life, and his relationship
to, and "in-touchness" with all
life, expressed and unexpressed. These two degrees of
consciousness come in time to all who seek "The
Path." To some it comes suddenly; to others it
dawns gradually; to many it comes assisted by the exercises and practical work of "Raja Yoga."
The first lesson of the Yogi Masters to the Candidates. leading up to
the first degree, above mentioned, is as follows:
That the Supreme Intelligence of the Universethe
Absolutehas manifested the being that we call Manthe
highest manifestation on this planet. The Absolute has
manifested an infinitude of forms of life in the
Universe, including distant worlds, suns, planets,
etc., many of these forms being unknown to us on this planet, and being impossible of
conception by the mind of the ordinary man. But
these lessons have nothing to do with that part of the
philosophy which deals with these myriad forms of life,
for our time will be taken up with the unfoldment in
the mind of man of his true nature and power. Before
man attempts to solve the secrets of the Universe
without, he should master the Universe within the
Kingdom of the Self. When he has accomplished this,
then he may, and should, go forth to gain the outer
knowledge as a Master demanding its secrets, rather
than as a slave begging for the crumbs from the table
of knowledge. The first knowledge for the Candidate
is the knowledge of the Self.
Man,
the highest manifestation of the Absolute, as far as
this planet is concerned, is a wonderfully organized
being-although the average man understands
but little of his real nature. He comprises within
his physical, mental and spiritual make-up both the
highest and the lowest, as we have shown in our
previous lessons (the "Fourteen Lessons" and the "Advanced Course"). In his bones he manifests almost in the form of mineral life, in fact, in his bones, body
and blood mineral substances actually exist The physical
life of the body resembles the life of the plant.
Many of the physical desires and emotions are akin to
those of the tower animals, and in the undeveloped
man these desires and emotions predominate and
overpower the higher nature, which latter is scarcely
in evidence. Then Man has a set of mental characteristics
that are his own, and which are not possessed
by the lower animals (See "Fourteen Lessons").
And in addition to the mental faculties common to all men, or rawer, that are
in evidence in a greater or lesser degree among
all men, there are still higher faculties latent within Man, which when manifested
and expressed render Man more than ordinary Man. The
unfoldment of these latent faculties is possible to all who have reached the
proper stage of development, and the desire and
hunger of the student for this instruction is caused
by the pressure of these unfolding latent faculties, crying to be born into consciousness.
Then there is that wonderful thing, the Will,
which is but faintly understood by those ignorant of the Yogi Philosophythe
Power of the Ego its birthright from the Absolute.
But while these mental and physical things belong to Man, they are not the Man himself. Before the Man is able to master, control, and direct the things belonging to himhis tools and instrumentshe must awaken
to a realization of Himself. He must be able to
distinguish between the "I" and the "Not I." And this is the first task before the Candidate.
That
which is the Real Self of Man is the Divine Spark
sent forth from the Sacred Flame. It is the Child of the Divine Parent. It is
ImmortalEternalIndestructibleInvincible.
It possesses within itself Power, Wisdom, and Reality. But like the infant that contains within itself the sometime
Man, the mind of Man is unaware of its latent and potential qualities, and does not know itself. As it awakens and
unfolds into the knowledge of its real nature, it
manifests its qualities, and realizes what the Absolute
has given it. When the Real Self begins to awaken,
it sets aside from itself those things which are but appendages to it, but
which it, in its half-waking state, had regarded as
its Self. Setting aside first this, and then that, it finally discards all of
the "Not I," leaving the Real Self free and delivered from its bondage to its appendages. Then it
returns to the discarded appendages,
and makes use of them.
In
considering the question: "What is the Real Self?" let us first stop to examine what man usually means when he says
"I."
The
lower animals do not possess this "I" sense. They are conscious of the outer world; of their own desires
and animal cravings and feelings. But their consciousness
has not reached the Self-conscious stage. They are
not able to think of themselves as separate entities,
and to reflect upon their thoughts. They are not
possessed of a consciousness of the Divine Spark the
Egothe Real Self. The Divine Spark is hidden in
the lower forms of lifeeven in the lower forms of
human lifeby many sheaths that shut out its light. But, nevertheless,
it is there, always. It sleeps within the
mind of the savagethen, as he unfolds,
it begins to throw out its light. In you, the Candidate, it is fighting hard to have its beams pierce through the material coverings. When the Real
Self begins to arouse itself from
its sleep, its dreams vanish from
it, and it begins to see the world as it is, and to
recognize itself in Reality and not as the distorted thing of its dreams.
The
savage and barbarian are scarcely conscious of the "I." They are
but a little above the animal in point of
consciousness, and their "I" is almost en-tirely a matter of the consciousness of the wants
of the body; the satisfaction of the
appetites; the gratification of the
passions; the securing of personal comfort; the expression of lust,
savage power, etc. In the'savage the lower
part of the Instinctive Mind is the
seat of the "I." (See "Fourteen Lessons" for explanation of the several mental planes of man.)
If the savage could analyze his
thoughts he would say that the
"I" was the physical body, the said body having certain "feelings,"
"wants" and "desires." The "I" of such a man is a physical "I," the body representing its form and substance. Not only is this
true of the savage, but even among so-called "civilized" men of to-day we find many in this stage. They
have developed powers of thinking and
reasoning, but they do not "live in their minds" as do some of their
brothers. They use their thinking
powers for the gratification of
their bodily desires and cravings, and really live on the plane of the Instinctive Mind. Such a
person may speak of "my
mind," or "my soul," not from a high position where he looks
upon these things from the
standpoint of a Master who realizes his Real Self, but from below, from the point-of-view of the man
who lives on the plane of the
Instinctive Mind and who sees above himself
the higher attributes. To such people the body is the "I."
Their "I" is bound up with the senses,
and that which conies to them through the senses. Of course, as Man advances in "culture" and "civilization," his senses become
educated, and are satisfied only with more refined things, while the less cultivated man is perfectly satisfied with the more
material and gross sense
gratifications. Much that we call
"cultivation" and "culture" is naught but a cultivation of a more refined form of sense
gratification, instead of a real advance in consciousness and unfold-ment. It is true that the advanced student and
Master is possessed of highly
developed senses, often far surpassing
those of the ordinary man, but in such cases
the senses have been cultivated under the mastery of the Will, and are made servants of the Ego instead of things hindering the progress of the
soul they are made servants instead
of masters.
As Man advances in the scale, he begins to have a somewhat
higher conception of the "I" He begins to use his mind and reason, and he passes on to the Mental
Planehis mind begins to manifest upon the plane of
Intellect. He finds that there is something within him that is higher than the
body. He finds that his mind seems more real to
him than does the physical part of him, and in times
of deep thought and study he is able almost to forget the
existence of the body.
In
this second stage, Man soon becomes perplexed. He finds
problems that demand an answer, but as soon as he
thinks he has answered them the problems present
themselves in a new phase, and he is called upon to
"explain his explanation." The mind, even although
not controlled and directed by the Will, has a wonderful
range, but, nevertheless, Man finds himself traveling
around and around in a circle, and realizes that he
is confronted continually by the Unknown. This
disturbs him, and the higher the stage of "book learning" he attains,
the more disturbed does he become. The man of but
little knowledge does not see the existence of many
problems that force themselves before the attention of
the man of more knowledge, and demand an explanation
from him. The tortures of the man who has attained the
mental growth that enables him to see the new problems and the impossibility
of their answer, cannot be imagined by one who has not advanced to that
stage.
The man in this stage of consciousness thinks of his
"I" as a mental thing, having a lower companion, the body. He feels that he has advanced, but yet his "I" does not give him the answer to the riddles and questions
that perplex him. And he becomes most unhappy.
Such men often develop into Pessimists, and
consider the whole of life as utterly evil and disappointinga
curse rather than a blessing. Pessimism belongs
to this plane, for neither the Physical Plane man or
the Spiritual Plane man have this curse of Pessimism.
The former man has no such disquieting
thoughts, for he is almost entirety absorbed in gratifying
his animal nature, while the latter man recognizes
his mind as an instrument of himself, rather
than as himself, and knows it to be imperfect in its
present stage of growth. He knows that he has in
himself the key to all knowledgelocked up in the Egoand
which the trained mind, cultivated, developed and
guided by the awakened Will, may grasp as it unfolds. Knowing this the advanced
man no longer despairs, and, recognizing his
real nature, and his possibilities, as he awakens into a
consciousness of his powers and capabilities, he
laughs at the old despondent, pessimistic ideas, and
discards them like a worn-out garment. Man on the Mental
Plane of consciousness is like a huge elephant who
knows not his own strength. He could break down
barriers and assert himself over nearly any
condition or environment, but in his ignorance of his real
condition and power he may be mastered by a puny
driver, or frightened by the rustling of a piece of paper.
When the Candidate becomes an Initiatewhen he passes
from the purely Mental Plane on to the Spiritual
Planehe realizes that the "I" the Real Self-is something higher than either body or mind, and that both of the latter may be used as tools and instruments by the Ego or
"I." This knowledge is not reached
by purely intellectual reasoning, although such efforts of the mind are often necessary to help in the unfoldment, and the Masters so use it. The real knowledge, however, comes as a special form of
consciousness. The Candidate becomes
"aware" of the real "I," and this consciousness being
attained, he passes to the rank of
the Initiates. When the Initiate passes
the second degree of consciousness, and begins to grow
into a realization of his relationship to the Wholewhen
he begins to manifest the Expansion of Selfthen
is he on the road to Mastership.
In
the present lesson we shall endeavor to point out to
the Candidate the methods of developing or increasing the realization of this "I" consciousnessthis first
degree work. We give the following exercises or development drills for the
Candidate to practice. He will find that a careful and
conscientious following of these directions will
tend to unfold in him a sufficient degree of the "I" consciousness,
to enable him to enter into higher stages of development and power. All that is necessary is for the Candidate to feel
within himself the dawn of the
awakening consciousness, or awareness
of the Real Self. The higher stages of the "I" consciousness come
gradually, for once on the Path there
is no retrogression or going backward. There
may be pauses on the journey, but there is no such thing as actually losing
that which is once gained on The Path.
This
"I" consciousness, even in its highest stages, is
but a preliminary step toward what is called "Illumination," and
which signifies the awakening of the Initiate
to a realization of his actual connection with and
relation to the Whole. The full sight of the glory of
the "I" is but a faint reflected glow of "Illumination." The Candidate, once that he enters fully into the "I" consciousness, becomes an "Initiate." And the
Initiate who enters into the dawn of Illumination takes his first step upon the road to Mastery. The Initiation
is the awakening of the soul to a knowledge of its
real existencethe Illumination is the revelation of
the real nature of the soul, and of its relationship
with the Whole. After the first dawn of the "I"
consciousness has been attained, the Candidate is more able to grasp the means
of developing the consciousness to a still higher
degreeis more able to use the powers latent within him;
to control his own mental states; to manifest a Centre of Consciousness and
Influence that will radiate into the outer world which
is always striving and hunting for such centres around which it may
revolve.
Man
must master himself before he can hope to exert an
influence beyond himself. There is no royal road to
unfoldment and powereach step must be taken in
turn, and each Candidate must take the step himself,
and by his own effort. But he may, and will, be aided
by the helping hand of the teachers who have
traveled The Path before him, and who know just when that
helping hand is needed to lift the Candidate over the rough places.
We
bid the Candidate to pay strict attention to the following
instruction, as it is all important. Do not slight any part of it, for we
are giving you only what is necessary, and
are stating it as briefly as possible. Pay attention, and follow the
instruction closely. This lesson must be
mastered before you progress. And it
must be practiced not only now, but at
many stages of the journey, until full Initiation and Illumination is
yours.
RULES AND
EXERCISES DESIGNED TO AID THE CANDIDATE IN HIS INITIATION.
The first instruction along the line of Initiation is designed
to awaken the mind to a full realization and consciousness
of the individuality of the "I." The Candidate
is taught to relax his body, and to calm his mind and to meditate upon the "V
until it is presented clearly and sharply before the consciousness. We herewith give directions for producing the
desired physical and mental
condition, in which meditation and concentration are more readily
practiced. This state of Meditation will be
referred to in subsequent exercises, so the Candidate is advised to acquaint
himself thoroughly with it
State of Meditation. If
possible, retire to a quiet place or room, where you do not
fear interruption, so that your mind may feel secure
and at rest. Of course, the ideal condition cannot always
be obtained, in which case you must do the best you can. The idea is that you should be able to abstract yourself, so far
as is possible, from distracting
impressions, and you should be alone with yourselfin communion with your Real Self.
It is well to place yourself in an easy chair, or on a couch,
so that you may relax the muscles and free the tension of your nerves. You
should be able to "let go" all
over, allowing every muscle to become limp, until a feeling of perfect peace and restful calm permeates
every particle of your being. Rest the body and calm the mind. This condition is test in the earlier stages of the practice, although after
the Candidate has acquired a degree of
mastery he will be able to obtain the physical relaxation and mental
calm whenever and wherever he desires.
But
he must guard against acquiring a "dreamy" way of going around,
wrapped in meditation when he should be attending to the affairs of life. Remember this, the State of Meditation
should be entirely under the control of the Will, and should be entered into
only deliberately and at the proper times.
The Will must be master of this, as well as of every other mental
state. The Initiates are not "day
dreamers," but men and women having full control of themselves and their
moods. The "1" consciousness while developed by meditation and consciousness, soon becomes a fixed item of
consciousness, and does not have to be produced by meditation. In time of trial, doubt, or trouble, the
consciousness may be brightened by an effort of the Will (as we shall explain
in subsequent lessons) without going into the State of Meditation.
The
Realization of the "I." The Candidate must first acquaint himself with the
reality of the "I," before he will be able to learn its real nature.
This is the first step. Let the Candidate place himself in the State of Meditation, as heretofore described. Then
let him concentrate his entire attention upon his Individual Self, shutting out
all thought of the outside world, and other persons. Let him form in his mind
the idea of himself as a real thingan actual beingan individual
entitya Sun around which revolves the
world. He must see himself as the Centre around
which the whole world revolves. Let not a false
modesty, or sense of depreciation interfere with this
idea, for you are not denying the right of others to also consider themselves
centres. You are, in fact, a centre of
consciousnessmade so by the Absolute and you
are awakening to the fact. Until the Ego recognizes
itself as a Centre of Thought, Influence and
Power, it will not be able to manifest these qualities. And in proportion as it recognizes its position as
a centre, so will it be able to manifest its qualities. It is not necessary that you should compare yourself with
others, or imagine yourself greater or higher than
them. In fact, such comparisons are to be regretted, and are unworthy of the
advanced Ego, being a mark and indication of a
lack of development, rather than the reverse. In the
Meditation simply ignore all consideration of the
respective qualities of others, and endeavor to realize
the fact that YOU are a great Centre of
Consciousnessa Centre of Power a Centre
of Influencea Centre of Thought. And that like the planets circling around the
sun, so does your world revolve around YOU who are its
centre. It will not be necessary for you to argue out
this matter, or to convince yourself of its truth by
intellectual reasoning. The knowledge does not come
in that way. It comes in the shape of a realization of
the truth gradually dawning upon your consciousiness through
meditation and concentration. Carry this thought
of yourself as a "Centre of Consciousness.
InfluencePower" with you, for
it is oh occult truth, and in the proportion that you are able to realize it so will be your ability to manifest the qualities named. No
matter how humble may be your positionno matter
how hard may be your lotno matter how deficient in educational
advantages you may bestill you would not change your "1" with the
most fortunate, wisest and highest man or woman in the world. You may doubt this, but
think for a moment and you will see that we are right. When you say that you "would like to be" this person or that, you really mean that you would like to have
their degree of intelligence, power, wealth, position, or what not. What you want is something that is theirs, or
something akin to it. But you
would not for a moment wish to merge your identity with theirs, or to exchange
selves. Think of this for a
moment To be the other person
you would have to let yourself die, and instead of yourself you
would be the other person. The real you
would be wiped out of existence, and
you would not be you at all, but would be he.
If you can but grasp this idea you will see that not for
a moment would you be willing for such an exchange.
Of course such an exchange is impossible. The "I" of you
cannot be wiped out. It is eternal, and wilt
go on, and on, and on, to higher and higher statesbut it always will be the same "I." Just as you,
although a far different sort of person from your
childhood self, still you recognize that the same "I" is there, and always has been
there. And although you will
attain knowledge, experience, power and wisdom in
the coming years, the same "I" will be there. The
"I" is the Divine Spark and cannot be extinguished.
The majority of people in the present stage of the race
development have but a faint conception of the reality
of the "I." They accept the statement of its existence,
and are conscious of themselves as an eating,
sleeping, living creaturesomething like a higher form of animal. But they have not awakened to an "awareness," or realization of the "I," which must come to all who become real centres of Influence and Power.
Some men have stumbled into this consciousness, or
a degree of it, without understanding the matter. They
have "felt" the truth of it, and they have stepped out from the ranks of the commonplace people of the world, and have become powers for good or
bad. This is unfortunate to some extent, as this "awareness"
without the knowledge that should accompany
it may bring pain to the individual and others.
The Candidate mu6t meditate upon the "I," and recognize itfeel
itto be a Centre. This is his first
task. Impress upon your mind the word "I," in this sense and understanding, and let it sink deep
down into your consciousness, so that
it will become a part of you. And
when you say "I," you must accompany the word with the picture of your Ego as a Centre of Consciousness, and Thought, and Power, and Influence.
See yourself thus, surrounded by your world.
Wherever you go, there goes the Centre of your
world. YOU are the Centre, and all outside of you
revolves around that Centre. This is the first great
lesson on the road to Initiation.
Learn it!
The Yogi Masters teach the Candidates that their realization
of the "I" as a Centre may be hastened by going
into the Silence, or State of Meditation, and repeating their first name over slowly, deliberately and solemnly a number of times. This exercise tends to cause
the mind to centre upon the "I," and many cases
of dawning Initiation have resulted from this practice.
Many original thinkers have stumbled upon this method, without having been
taught it. A noted example is that of Lord
Tennyson, who has written that he attained a degree of
Initiation in this way. He would repeat his own name, over and over, and the same time meditating upon his identity, and he reports
that he would become conscious and "aware" of his reality and immortalityin short would recognize himself as a real center of consciousness.
We
think we have given you the key to the first stage of
meditation and concentration. Before passing on, let us quote from one of the old
Hindu Masters. He says, regarding this matter: "When the soul sees itself as a Centre surrounded by its
circumferencewhen the Sun knows
that it is a Sun, and is surrounded
by its whirling planetsthen is it ready for the Wisdom and Power of the Masters."
The Knowledge of tHe Independence of the "I" from the Boot. Many of the Candidates find themselves
prevented from a full realization of the "I"
(even after they have begun to grasp it) by the confusing
of the reality of the "1" with the sense of the
physical body. This is a stumbling block that is easily overcome by meditation and concentration, the independence
of the "I" often becoming manifest to the
Candidate in a flash, upon the proper thought being used as the subject of
meditation.
The exercise is
given as follows: Place yourself in the
State of Meditation, and think of YOURSELF the Real "I"as being independent of the body, but using
the body as a covering and an instrument. Think
of the body as you might of a suit of clothes. Realise that you are able to leave the body, and still be the same "I." Picture yourself as
doing this, and looking down upon
your body. Think of the body as a
shell from which you may emerge without affecting your identity. Think of
yourself as mastering and controlling
the body that you occupy, and using it to the best advantage, making it healthy, strong and vigorous, but still being merely a shell or covering
for the real "You." Think
of the body as composed of atoms and
cells which are constantly changing, but which are held together by the
force of your Ego, and which you can improve at Will. Realize that you are merely inhabiting the body, and using it
for your convenience, just as you
might use a house.
In meditating further, ignore the body entirely, and place
your thought upon the Real "I" that you are beginning
to feel to be "you," and you will find that your
identityyour "I"is something entirely apart from the body. You may now say "my body" with a new meaning.
Divorce the idea of your being a physical
being, and realize that you are above body. But do not let this conception and realization cause you to ignore the body. You must regard the body as the Temple of the Spirit, and care lor it, and
make it a fit habitation for the
"I." Do not be frightened if,
during this meditation, you happen to experience the sensation of being out of the body for a few moments, and of returning to it when you are through
with the exercise. The Ego is able
(in the case of the advanced
Initiate) of soaring above the confines of the body, but it never severs its connection at such times. It is
merely as if one were to look out of the window of a room, seeing what was going on outside, and drawing in his head when he wishes. He does not leave the room, although he may place his head
outside in order to observe what is doing in the street. We do not advise the
Candidate to try to cultivate this sensationbut
if it comes naturally during meditation, do not fear.
Realizing the Immortality and Invincibility op the Ego. While
the majority accept on faith the belief in the Immortality of the Soul, yet but
few are aware that it may be demonstrated by the soul itself. The Yogi Masters teach the Candidates this lesson, as
follows: The Candidate places himself in the State of Meditation, or at least in a thoughtful frame of mind, and then endeavors to "imagine" himself as "dead"that
is, he tries to form a mental conception of himself as dead. This, at
first thought, appears a very easy thing to imagine, but as a matter of fact it
is impossible to do so, for the Ego refuses to entertain the proposition, and finds it impossible to
imagine it. Try it for yourself. You will find that you may be able to imagine your body as lying
still and lifeless, but the same thought finds that in so doing You are
standing and looking at the body. So you see
that You are not dead at all, even in imagination, although the body may be. Or, if you refuse to disentangle yourself from your body, in imagination,
you may mink of your body as dead but You who refuse to leave it are still alive and recognize
the dead body as a tiling apart from your Real Self. No matter how you may twist it you cannot imagine
yourself as dead. The Ego insists upon being alive in any of these thoughts, and thus finds that it has within
itself the sense and assurance of Immortality. In case of sleep or stupor resulting from a blow, or from
narcotics or anaesthetics, the mind is apparently blank, but the "I" is conscious of a continuity
of existence. And so one may imagine
himself as being in an unconscious
state, or asleep, quite easily, and sees the possibility of such a state, but
when it comes to imagining the "I" as dead, the mind
utterly refuses to do the work. This wonderful fact that the soul carries within itself the evidence of its own immortality
is a glorious thing, but one must have reached a degree of unfoldment before he is able to grasp its full significance.
The Candidate is advised to investigate the above statement for himself,
by meditation and concentration, for in order that the "I" may know
its true nature and possibilities, it must realize that it cannot be destroyed
or killed. It must know what it is
before it is able to manifest its nature.
So do not leave this part of the teaching until you have mastered
it. And it is well occasionally to return to it, in order that you may impress
upon the mind the fact of your immortal and eternal nature. The mere
glimmering of this conception of truth will give you an increased sense of
strength and power, and you will find that your Self has expanded and grown,
and that you are more of a power and Centre than you have heretofore realized.
The following exercises are useful in bringing about a realization of the invincibility of the Egoits superiority
to the elements.
Place yourself in the State of Meditation, and imagine the
"I" as withdrawn from the body. See it passing through the tests of
air, fire and water unharmed. The body being out of the way, the soul is seen
to be able of passing through the air at
willof floating like a birdof soaringof traveling in the ether. It may be seen as able to pass through fire without
harm and without sensation, for the
elements affect only the physical body, not the Real "I."
Likewise it may be seen as passing through
water without discomfort or danger or hurt.
This meditation will give you a sense of superiority and strength, and
will show you something of the nature of
the real "I." It is true that you are confined in
the body, and the body may be affected by the elements,
but the knowledge that the Real "I" is superior to the bodysuperior to the elements that affect the bodyand cannot be injured any more than it can be killed, is wonderful, and tends to develop the full "I"
consciousness within you. For Youthe Real "I"-are
not body. You are Spirit. The Ego is Immortal and
Invincible, and cannot be killed and harmed. When you
enter into this realization and consciousness,
you will feel an influx of strength and power impossible to describe. Pear will
fall from you like a worn-out cloak, and you will feel that you are "born again." An understanding of this thought, will show you that the things that we have been fearing cannot affect
the Real "I," but must rest content with hurting the
physical body. And they may he warded off from the
physical body by a proper understanding and application of the Will.
In
our next lesson, you will be taught how to separate the
"I" from the mechanism of the mindhow you may realize your mastery
of the mind, just as you now realize your independence of
the body. This knowledge must be imparted to you by degrees, and you
must place your feet firmly upon one round of the ladder before you take the
next step.
The watchword of
this First Lesson is "I." And the
Candidate must enter fully into its meaning before he is
able to progress. He must realise his real existenceindependent
of the body. He must see himself as invincible and
impervious to harm, hurt, or death. He must see himself
as a great Centre of Consciousnessa Sun around which
his world revolves. Then will come to him a new
strength. He will feel a calm dignity and power, which
will be apparent to those with whom he comes in contact. He will be able to
look the world in the face without flinching, and without fear, for he will realize the nature and power of
the "I." He will realize mat he is a Centre of Powerof Influence. He
will realise that nothing can harm the "I," and
that no matter how the storms of life may dash upon the
personality, the real "I" the
Individualityis unharmed. Like a rock that stands
steadfast throughout the storm, so does the "I" stand
through the tempests of the life of personality. And he will know that as he grows in realization, he will be able to
control these storms and bid them be still.
In the words of one
of the Yogi Masters; "The "I"
is eternal. It passes unharmed through the fire, the air, the water. Sword and spear cannot kill or wound it. It cannot die. The trials of the
physical life are but as dreams to
it. Resting secure in the knowledge
of the 'I,' Man may smile at the worst the world has to offer, and raising his hand he may bid them disappear into the mist from which they
emerged. Blessed is he who can say
(understandingly) T."
So dear Candidate, we leave you to master the first
Lesson. Be not discouraged if your progress be slow. Be not cast down if
you slip back a step after having gained it.
You wilt gab two at the next step. Success and realization will be yours.
Mastery is before. You will Attain.
You will Accomplish. Peace be with you.
MANTRAMS (AFFIRMATIONS) FOR THE FIRST
LESSON.
"1" am a Centre. Around me revolves my world.
"I" am a Centre of
Influence and Power.
"I" am a Centre of
Thought and Consciousness.
"I" am Independent of
the Body.
"I" am Immortal and
cannot be Destroyed.
"I" am Invincible and
cannot be Injured.
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